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2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

13 Ranked Colleges
56 Degrees Awarded
$26,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master's in the Great Lakes Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Music Theory & Composition is the 415th most popular major in the country with 1,117 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 144 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 56 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 13 colleges that offer a degree in music theory and composition. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music theory and composition programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Music Theory & Composition Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree music composition students.

Top 13 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in the Great Lakes Region

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. BGSU is a public institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at BGSU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at BGSU are $15,823, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full BGSU Music Theory & Composition Report

#2

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Youngstown State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Youngstown State University also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #13. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Youngstown State University are $9,495.

Full Youngstown State University Music Theory & Composition Report

#3

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree music composition students list, Central Michigan has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Central Michigan University are $19,359.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Central Michigan

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified masters’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio University - Athens Campus are $17,712.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at OHIO Athens

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UC is a large public school situated in Cincinnati, Ohio. It awarded 10 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

UC also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus are $26,644.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at UC

#12 in overall quality

University of Akron Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Akron Main Campus is a public institution located in Akron, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Akron Main Campus, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Akron Main Campus are $15,217, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Akron Main Campus

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

DePaul University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full DePaul University Music Theory & Composition Report

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent State University at Kent is located in Kent, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Kent State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Kent State University at Kent are $21,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Kent State

#9

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Roosevelt University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt University are $21,605.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Roosevelt University

#10

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan
#5 in overall quality

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. WMU is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Western Michigan University are $31,355.

Full Western Michigan University Music Theory & Composition Report

#11

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#3 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified masters’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree music composition students list, Michigan State has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Michigan State University

#12

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
#2 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at U-M

#13

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music composition degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northwestern Music Theory & Composition Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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